Fast Llamas,

Today we shift from behavioral strategies to cognitive ones.  When I think of cognitive engagement, I have to recall the four ways in which we basically think with our brains.  

Let's call them the Brain Basics.

1. Firing - 🔥

    Neurons that fire together, wire together.  

2. Attending - 🧠

    Attention is necessary for learning

3. Connecting - 🧩

    We make meaning by connecting to existing knowledge.

4. Imaging 📷

    Mental imaging supports understanding. 
  
While planning my lessons, I am aware of these brain basics  - if my students are talking, moving, collaborating, writing, drawing, summarizing, recalling, organizing, sequencing, explaining (you get the picture) - they are making meaning and they are thinking critically.  They are engaged cognitively.  Everyday students have opportunities to:

    1. Move

    2. Collaborate and 

    3. Engage with media of some sort (think lots of visuals for example)

What's great is the activities do not have to be these grand, big, huge lessons.  They are can small activities, chunked throughout the lesson that get kids doing the learning, and me the teacher guiding and facilitating.  Think about student carrying the cognitive workload and what that would look like.  If I give my students notes on particular topic - WHAT will they be doing with the information? If I give my students a reading activity - HOW will they use that information?  I want to make sure my students have ample opportunities to learn with others and connect what they know with the new information.

I also want to make sure that as I am explicitly teaching that I build opportunities for discussion by asking open ended questions and use Wait Time.  

PAWE is a strategy what is fantastic strategy to use for when you want to build in this type of teaching.

P - Prompt - pique curiosity and get their attention! 

    "we have been talking about the US Constitution" Here we can tap into existing knowledge.  (BB #2 and BB #3)

A - Ask - ask the question - open ended, use visuals to help make meaning (BB #4)

W - WAIT - use wait time, allow students to collaborate and talk, learn from others.  Get those neurons firing. (BB #1)

E - Elicit - pull and stretch out the answers - ask for similarities, more examples, differences, get the students to tell you more! Here the meaning is being made as students connect what they already know to new learning.  (BB 1 - 4 in play here)  celebrate the answers with praise!

When you think about it, isn't this a lot more engaging for you and for the students than just cold calling the same students over and over again?

Next in this series, we tap into our first cognitive strategy - Purposeful Movement. 

 Hey, Fast Llama's,

I was walking in HEB yesterday and realized they have an entire section devoted to organization and
cleaning in their "seasonal section". This got me thinking that the new year is for getting organized
and do that "Spring Cleaning"! How does that apply to us at school?
So let's talk about your classroom. Let's change that thinking to an "environment". Brain based
education studies note that the brain works best when it is not under stress. You release more dopamine
and thus retain more information when don't feel fear or anxiety. So, focus on making your classroom
aesthetically pleasing. I use table lamp and turn off the fluorescent lights. Once you have taught in a
room lit this way, you don't want to go back. It is very easy on the eyes. Doing any spring cleaning at
home and are changing out lamps? Bring your old ones to school! When I was teaching at Spillane,
I had a huge classroom (I am not bragging, lol). It was windowless, so it took quite a bit of lamps to
get it lit the best for my students. It took years of collecting lamps from friends, from discount stores
and garage sales. So, let your collecting begin. Also, I got my first period to turn on the lamps for me...
they liked it.
Consider adding plants. Plants serve two purposes, one, plants release oxygen and filter
out pollutants, second, plants are pleasing and calming.
Now for the walls... When I began teaching, I put up every poster I could find. Free posters from
NASA, (they will give you any if you ask), posters I purchased and posters I created. They were
everywhere. Now this is amazing that I admit this, since I went to college to study education during the
heyday of Madeline Hunter. Hunter was the be all, end all of education during this time. She was the
guru. And, she was good. I am still referring to her. Anyway, Madeline Hunter, said, your walls should
be blank, with bursting and overflowing cabinets. In other words, only put the posters out that you are
using at the moment, then put them away when the unit is done. So, be purposeful about your posters.
As the year progresses, add posters, remove posters, but keep what "icon poster and/or anchor charts"
of specific info you want to keep on the forefront of the students minds. On these posters are items
that I want to continue to recap and review with students.
Another educational strategist that I studied in college, who still speaks to me is Harry Wong.
One of his suggestions is to put on a bulletin board a timeline of yourself. Start with a baby picture,
definitely one of the age of the kids you teach, a high school or college, husband, etc. A story of your
life. Kids love it and you will see them looking at them. It's just another way to make a connection with
them. And that's what "setting the stage" is all about, making the kids feel invited into your learning
environment, establishing a relationship with them. Then, once you have captured them, then the
learning can begin.

 Fast Llamas, 

I was privy to a conversation a colleague was having with a student teacher in our building the other day.  They were talking about classroom management and the student teacher asked and I paraphrase, "will there ever be a time that the students behavior won't have to be managed?"  This got me thinking and the answer is "yes and no".  Middle school students are just that, they are teenagers and their brains won't be fully developed until they are much older.  So, we use this time that we have with them to teach them the ways of success.  But, by February, most of your procedures, systems and routines are put into place... unless...
1. They are too complicated - procedures should be "engineered to be efficient" (Lemov, 2015).  Procedures should be the simplest way to complete a task.  Script out the most critical routines in your classroom.  What do they look like?  What are your expectations?  How will you know when students are successful?  How will the students know they are successful?
Normal Systems:
a. how to ask a question
b. how to answer a question
c.  how to have a discussion
d.  moving materials
e. note taking
f. turn and talk
g. independent work
h. how to test
i. managing behavior
j. moving students
2.  You did not take the time to practice in the beginning - taking the time to practice to make procedures quick with little narration will come back to haunt you.  Take the time to plan out to detail and then practice with students always will pay off.   Make an anchor chart of the expectations for students and refer to the anchor chart often.  
3.  You don't have key phrases planned out - here comes planning again.  Clarity and specificity are king here.
And I am not just talking about procedures and routines for behavior.  Academic procedures are worth practicing too.   Like using RULER, used to strategize test taking skills or a CHECK-X strategy, these are done every time with fidelity.  
To move from procedure to routine to system takes patience and time, but it will pay off .  
Here are some tips from Teach Like a Champion:
1.  Number the steps - chunk them as you narrate, first, stand up, second, turn and face me... etc.
2. Model and describe - give certain procedures a moniker - like "vertical hand"  
3. Practice
4.  Reflect on the most common questions or requests students have and systemize these.
5. Transfer Ownership 
The Slumps:
Sometimes there is a need to rectify or reset what's happening in your classroom.  Don't think since it is the middle of the year that some systems need your attention.  While most procedures and routines are established at the beginning of the school year, it is never too late to create a new one or review an existing one.  
Here are some tips, again from Teach Like a Champion:
1.  Invent a peg - Connect the reset to a new goal, such as a big field trip or 34 days until STAAR.
2.  Review procedures before and after a big break.
3.  Heart to Heart - tell the students the reason to a reset.  Maybe they (and you) have gotten sloppy and you are losing valuable learning time, just be honest.
4.  Practice  - let students take the lead
5.  Praise - Give props that are quick, universal and enthusiastic.  
Examples of Props:
a. snaps
b. power whooshes
c. the hitter  - pretend to toss a baseball and hit it for a homerun
d.  hot pepper - pretend hold and eat a hot pepper and say "ssss"
Here are a few example videos, the examples are from elementary, but I believe they will work for any age, because middle school kids are just kids in big bodies.  

References:
Lemov, D. (2015). Teach like a champion 2.0. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

SLANT and Calling your Class to Attention

 Hey Fast Llamas, 

This is a repost from 2023, but it's a good one and is reposted due to a coaching conversation I had with the Math coach on my campus.  It's good stuff and a good reminder of strategies... 

 

So far we have talked about Threshold and Strong Start strategies as students enter and we begin class.  
Now what?  How do we get to the learning as fast, efficiently and respectfully as possible?  My first year of teaching I realized quickly that I needed to find a way to get the students attention.  I started flicking the lights on and off.  It worked.  But, I am not sure how I feel about it.  I do know that since I wasn't a QL teacher yet, my overhead lights were always on, so flicking them "off" to get attention wasn't so bad. If I had continued that practice, (when I stopped using fluorescent lighting), that switching the lights "ON" to get their attention would of blinded the kids and would of seemed punishing.  By the time I was using lighting purposely, I had developed a better plan.  (thank goodness).  

The Call to Attention...
Like I mentioned above, what you use to call the students to attention is not a punishment, but a classroom management technique that simplifies your ability to get kids attention in a positive way and teaches kids self-regulating behaviors and guides them to autonomy.  (stay tuned for more on that in a minute).
There are lots of examples of Calls to Attention out there on the web and you may have one you like...  A teacher friend of mine simply says, "Hey"  and the kids say "Ho", another says, "Howdy" and the kids do the same.  Some teachers do a narrating countdown, ("you are quiet in 5, pencils down in 4, eyes on me in three, etc.") or simply hold a hand for "5". The important thing to do is practice it a lot, and hold that 100% compliance is happening by scanning the room.  If the kids know you are waiting and looking, it will be more effective.  Waiting and looking sends a message that you are serious and you expect them to comply.


In my classroom, I used a modified rock climbing command protocol.  In the sport of rock climbing, “on belay” is the first climbing command used by a rope climbing team at the base of a climb. "Belaying" refers to actions used to keep tension on a climbing rope so that in case of mishap, a climber does not fall before being stopped by the rope. "On belay" is the voice command issued by your climbing partner to indicate they are ready to keep the tension of the rope as you climb, thereby ensuring safety of the climber. In my class, I used the metaphor that I was their belayer, holding their rope and supporting them as they climbed 8th grade science.  I believe they had more stock in saying it, since I took the time in a mini-lesson to explain what it meant to me and to them.  It was an effective call to attention. More on what it look, sounded and felt like below.

Change Their State:
To increase my ability to train students to self-regulate and change their state, I combined my call to attention with a kinesthetic state change.  I used SLANT first, which was started in KIPP schools, is used by Quantum Learning (where I learned it) and is mentioned in Doug Lemov's book, Teach Like a Champion.  I later switched to PLAN which is from Doug Curry's How to Train a Llama.  There is STAR too.  

Here are the three that I have seen and used:
Sit up                                            Sit up                                              Posture (sit up)
Lean forward                              Track the speaker                         Lean, look and listen
Ask and answer questions       Ask and answer questions          All things put down
Nod your head                            Respect others                              No talking
Talk to your teacher

As you can see, they are more alike than they are different.  I had success with SLANT and with PLAN.  (the reason for my switch was my entire building used PLAN, no big deal).

Each letter in SLANT also describes what is happening cognitively.  

S, for example, when you sit up, you send a message to the brain that, "this is important".  Has that ever happened to you? Something important is being said and you automatically sit up?  Or you are in a relaxed position while driving, and traffic amps up, so you sit up to be able to pay more attention to it. When we pay attention... we are better able to retain it.

Lean Forward sends a message to the brain to focus.  Have you ever described the plot of a really good movie to someone?  Most likely, you leaned forward to tell the story.  Same with that driving scenario, we naturally lean forward when we want to focus more.

Ask Questions sends a message to the brain that you are interested.  Questions pulls the brain into inquiry mode.  Inquiry mode sparks curiosity.  Curious brains are more creative and you retain more information.

Nod you head.  Ahhh the power of positivity.  When I send a message of positivity to the brain, or equate positive feelings with what I am doing, or reading, the brain picks up on it and will likely store it into long term memory.

Track or Talk to your teacher.  Finally, this last step again, sends a message to the brain that this is important. This is important enough for me to talk about it and follow the teacher as she/he talks about it.  

So, my call to attention looked, sounded and felt like this... 

(remember I  modified it for the classroom, true rock climbers will notice that the commands are reversed, but, it worked for the outcome I needed in the classroom)
Me:  "on belay" 
Kids:  "ready to climb", 
Me: "climb on" 
Kids: "climbing"
Me: "Show me your PLAN"
Kids: would sit up, lean forward, put pencils down, and look at me
Me: scan the room and make corrections and praise and praise and praise

This took practice, on my part to continue using it with fidelity and never getting upset when I had to use it.  I was in control of the classroom behavior in a positive way.  Remember, everytime I used it, I was telling them that I was sending a message that I was there for them,  setting them up for success and they were climbing higher and higher!
I would also manage their behavior by calling to attention when I felt they were getting too loud... right as the volume would rise, I would call them back and either check for understanding or students could share their learning.  
I also would go to the SAME spot in my classroom to call them to attention.  By spring, I could walk to that spot and the volume would decrease automatically.  That's self-regulation folks and sets up kids with feelings of satisfaction and autonomy.  

Tips:
1.  Keep it simple - don't choose something that will cost time or not be something you will hold on to...
2.  Time is important and being quick is the goal... so don't hold kids 15 seconds longer than necessary just to prove you are in control...
3.  Use the fewest words as possible.  A call to attention means you don't have to say "shhh" or other words.  It is all you say.  Talking more steals away the satisfaction and autonomy students gain when they comply.  We are training kids to self-regulate, they need to know what it feels like...
4.  Practice with peers (this practice is called microteaching and doesn't it sound fancy?) your procedures to increase your economy of words.  The goal... talk less.


Here's quick video for guidance.

 Fast Llamas,

When I think back on my first years in the classroom, I kind of cringe when I think about how I used to start class.  Think... LOTS OF TIME WASTED.  And it wasn't that I didn't know time was flying by, I just didn't have the skills to get started.  Madeline Hunter had taught me about the lesson cycle, but, how to start?  After many trainings—like Quantum Learning’s concept of clean beginnings and tradition, the Fundamental Five approach to Framing the Lesson, and the Strong Start strategies outlined below—I finally put everything into practice. That’s when my classroom became truly efficient. It took effort on my part, but once the routines were established, students consistently did what was expected of them every day. The results were amazing.

In Strong Start teachers design and establish an efficient routine for students to begin class.  You are shaping the opening minutes, being proactive and creating energy.  This time allows for learning goals to be discussed and review of content to be a routine occurrence (a tradition). 
Remember, they are entering your class and you are greeting them and setting expectations.  Once they enter, there is an established routine of picking up papers, sharpening pencils, turning in work and getting to their seat. 
Once bell rings students should have a short review of previously learned material.  This is in the form of a warm-up question at Labay. (some call it bell work, a Do Now, etc...)  We want students to not lose, through disuse, what they have previously mastered.  Adding to the warm-up is a review of Content Posters or Anchor Charts.  Remember 10-24-7.  We are always recapping!

Things to consider:
1. Set a timer for students to complete warm-up,
2. Walk around while they finish, (you can take attendance on TAC quickly and then get back to the power zone, I tried unsuccessfully to use my phone to take attendance... maybe you could be better at it)
3.  Count down once timer goes off... "pencils down and tracking me in five... four... " this creates urgency... when down to one, students are ready
4.  Some teachers check answers, some don't... the latter usually have students turn in their weeks warm-ups for a grade.  Students get feedback later.
5.  Go to Anchor Charts and have students say and do as you do to recap important info for the unit.  Have kids stand up.  Encourage body mnemonics and having them saying the words.  So students are hearing, seeing, doing and saying the words for what you want them to remember.  Have students recap with a partner. Set a timer for this too.

Finally the TPO (Three Part Objective) is discussed.  The students can read it together, the teacher can read it, or get one kid each day to read it.  The important part is that it is read and talked about out-loud everyday.  This is the goal for the class period and it is really important students know why they are in class that day.  The TPO tells them what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they will show what they learned.

I encourage setting timers so that this doesn't become a 20 minute routine... this should be quick and energetic. 
Here's a quick montage of Champion Teachers using timers, setting the pace and creating urgency.  Some cool ideas to try.

 Hey all fast llamas!

Today, I thought a good place to start talking about in terms of classroom culture and management is to start at the literal beginning.  The first interaction you have with your students as they enter your classroom... the threshold.

In Teach Like a Champion 2.0, Doug Lemov describes this as "the first opportunity to set high expectations", and I couldn't agree more. Getting it right and keeping it right are much easier than trying to fix it once it has gone wrong (I love this statement).

Here's what it looks like, sounds like and feels like:
Remember Everything Speaks - first impressions matter!  be purposeful and use this moment intentionally (lagniappe)
1.  Choose how you will greet students - this sets the tone for the rest of class.  Will you use it for rapport building? Academic success? Character building?  (a mix?)
2.  Stand astride the door if you can... so you can see what's happening in your classroom and outside.  (this may not always be possible, but, it is the goal)
3.  Greet students, remind them that they are in your class now (sending a message that no matter what expectations they are coming from, your expectations are in play now, and you expect their best).  I like to give each badge a "tap" with my finger or pencil.  It's like a mini-high five!
4.  Send a warm, strict message, you are glad they are here, but, we are here to learn... business with a smile
5.  Use this time to:
    *build rapport, "nice game last night", "looking for great things from you today", check badges or "cool shirt"; You are MODELING how to talk to Speak with good Purpose...
    *build academic success, "we have a quiz today, be sure you review your warm-ups", "flash cards" 
    *build character - how to shake hands, make eye contact, high five, side hug or fist bump (ask kids what they want), talk about the 8 Keys of Excellence (all Labay kids will be trained through science classes by the end of September)

6.  Split time between greeting and talking to kids in the class... you literally have eyes on everything. calling attention to it, sends a message to students that you are watching, monitoring and helping them be successful.

The ultimate goal of Threshold is twofold:
1.  help you establish a personal connections with your students though a brief individual check in (use their name)
2. Reinforce your expectations for what students should be doing as they enter your class.  

Set a goal to level up your Threshold and monitor the results you see in your classrooms Use Threshold to build academic success and build rapport!

Next week... We will talk about Starting Strong! 

 This is a repost from last year... but too good not to share again.  

Enjoy!

Fast Llama's

I am sharing this free resource from Doug Curry today.  His writing is so good, I can just hear his voice.  Doug Curry has tons of free resources that I am beginning to share with you, coupled with the OTFD session we had with Jenny, there is a lot of good things happening for our students at Labay!

Here is one of the free resources Doug wrote about the greatest gift teachers have; a Christmas Break RESET! 

Enjoy!

Your Christmas Gift: A Fresh Start

Have you been such a slow llama this year that it has been months since you have even seen the pack?

Are you so slow that the pack conspires to avoid you?

Are you now doubting that the pack in fact even exists?

Has this year caused you to seriously question your career choice?

Do you have one wall of your classroom dedicated to marking off the days as if you are awaiting parole?

You are not alone!  This is particularly true if you are new to this profession or new to your unique circumstance.

There are very few jobs in the world that allow for an opportunity to completely start over and thus correct all of the mistakes that one has made.  The world of sports comes to mind.  As long as a football player has not yet been run out of the league, each new year offers a chance for redemption.  You see this all the time in sports.  A player who last year basically stunk now turns into this year’s hottest superstar.

Fortunately for us, teaching is one of these professions that offers the opportunity for, shall we say, “rebirth.”  Every year, unless you loop with the same kids (and thus bring along all of your mistakes in the same way that we carry viruses with us from room to room), you have a completely new opportunity to start over and correct all of your mistakes from the previous year.

Why are we talking about starting over when only half of the year is completing?  Fair question.  

However, never underestimate the power of the holiday break!

Granted, it is not summertime.  We don’t have the opportunity for complete redemption.

If done right, your two weeks off along with the return of your students in January offers you the opportunity to hit a very important button:

That’s right!  You can definitely hit the reset button. 

When the kids come back in January, they can be met with the “new you!”

How do you make this happen?  Here are the steps:

1.    Be quick to forgive yourself for whatever mess you may have created during this first semester.  

In any type of leadership position, which of course includes teaching, leaders inevitably make mistakes.  Great leaders take responsibility for their mistakes, but they don’t dwell on them.  They learn from their mistakes, adjust, and move on.  Picture a great quarterback who throws an interception early in a game.  Did he mean to throw it?  Of course not.  If he dwells on the mistake, he may become reluctant to do all of the things that come with being the leader of the team, which in this case means:  Throw the ball!  It takes real courage to continue to lead after you have made a mistake.  Guess what?  No matter how good you become at this job, you will still make mistakes.

2.    While forgiving yourself for the mistakes you made the first semester, own them.  They are yours.  You did it.  Your classroom will be whatever you want it or allow it to be.  If it has been terrible, you did it.

When we fail, we will do everything we can to justify our failure.  It’s human nature, but it’s a losing strategy.

You can try and convince yourself and others that everyone else in your school is failing at classroom management, but I’m sorry.  It’s not true.  Folks like me who get to visit all different classrooms can tell you.  There are teachers on your campus who are succeeding.  They are succeeding with the same students who seem to enjoy seeing you suffer.

It’s you.

Have courage and accept it.  It’s the first step in overcoming any problem.

 

3.    Make a list of all that has gone wrong related to your classroom management during this first semester.  Here is a resource that will help:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rgdxyqY6O-Xx_ShcUPW6Q0CJHNNhT89_  

4.    Now make a list of what you are going to do to make it better.

Does it involve your:

•   Classroom Systems?    https://drive.google.com/open? id=14MWj0f3dE08GUdXKOVc32a-7E9FHQlnN  

•   Teacher Presence?   https://drive.google.com/open? id=1bFv52GUPY0nICrHpB_NV20LRntOECJK1  

•   Your Beliefs?   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnEpFoh9gnI

•   Your Relationships with your Students?

5.  Prioritize.  You won’t be able to do everything.

Pick the most important things.  

•   Your room arrangement • How you have your materials stored.

•   How students enter.

•   How you dismiss.

•   How you gain and keep their attention.

•   How they respond in class.

Your classroom will be whatever you want it to be.

If it is great, it is because of you.

If it is terrible, you allowed it.

Kids will rise to whatever level you expect.

They will also sink as low as you let them go.

The new year is a gift!  Take advantage of this opportunity!

Thank you for what you do!  - Doug

Have a wonderful break!  We have just 10 days to make a difference to the life of a kid.  Make them miss us! Make them look forward to coming back in January! Make them and each other believe there is no better place to be than to be together at school!

-Tracy